Here are 3 simple shifts to open your heart. I often use these when I can feel myself closing off. This is a common reaction to stress (especially for those of us who have been hurt deeply in the past).

Sometimes, when I least expect it, another layer of my grief pops up to the surface to be healed.

I was recently gifted with an opportunity to re-deal with some sticky abandonment issues left over from my mom's death -which was likely a suicide.Someone really close to my heart left for a few weeks on vacation and my stress level increased to a place I knew (consciously) wasn't appropriate for the present-moment situation.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend about how to let go of the need to control life which is often easier said then done - especially when we are dealing with stress. And perhaps even more so when dealing with the stress of loss.

I arrived here in India 3 days ago after the most epic journey which got me thinking. After my 33 hour travel day I had a sore neck. If I was a client I would ask, "what is your body telling you?" And, offer the following contemplation.

"Is there something in your life you are afraid to look at or say or express?"